Changing Tune

Changing Tune is the third studio album and major label debut by English rock band Lower Than Atlantis. Preceded by the non-album single "If the World Was to End", the band went on their first ever headlining tour in the UK in January 2012.

Changing Tune
Studio album by
Lower Than Atlantis
Released1 October 2012
RecordedEarly 2012 at Rockfield Studios
GenreArena rock[1]
Length36:48
LabelIsland
ProducerJohn Mitchell, Ben Humphreys
Lower Than Atlantis chronology
World Record
(2011)		 Changing Tune
(2012)		 Lower Than Atlantis
(2014)
Singles from Changing Tune
  1. "Love Someone Else"
    Released: 17 July 2012
  2. "Go on Strike"
    Released: 8 February 2013
  3. "Something Better Came Along"
    Released: 29 April 2013

Background

Lower Than Atlantis released "If the World Was to End" as a single in January 2012.[2] The song was produced by John Mitchell, who bassist Dec Hart and drummer Eddy Thrower had known for longer than the rest of the band.[3] Following this, they went on their first headline tour in the UK.[4] On the final night of the tour, 27 January, the band announced they had signed to major label Island Records.[5] Island's promise of more income is what convinced the band sign with the label.[6] Duce revealed that despite the increase of income "Nothing's really changed" for the band except for "the financial backing that we didn't have before".[6] Everything the band has done previously was with their own money.[6] The band supported Young Guns in Europe in February and March.[7]

Recording and sound

Island suggested to that the band went into pre-production with a producer.[3] The band were against this idea as they claimed that no one else knows how they should sound apart from themselves.[3] The group rented out a room for a week and guitarist Ben Sansom brought in his computer, which the band recorded into live.[3] Changing Tune was recorded in early 2012 at Rockfield Studios[8] with Mitchell and Ben Humphreys producing.[9][nb 1] Humphreys and Josh Tyrell helped with recording and engineering.[9] Rockfield Studios was a residential studio, which the band preferred as they had previously needed to drive.[3] Duce revealed that their previous releases were "rushed, on a shoestring budget and against the clock."[8] The drum tracks were recorded in "two and half days... three days", according to Thrower.[3] With Changing Tune, the group had the time and equipment to use to their advantage.[8] The band were able to work at any time of their choosing, whereas on previous occasions, the group had to work between 10 and 6.[8] Sansom said that the album combines the sounds of Far Q (2010) and World Record (2011) – the latter of which Sansom thought the band "only covered a small ground" with the pop-rock songs found on it.[11]

For the album, the band used several different guitars and amplifiers as they had time to experiment.[11] This in turn made it take longer for the band to track guitars.[3] The band had recorded 16 tracks,[6] all of which were written by Duce,[12] but were credited to the band as a whole.[9] The band spent more time on "Prologue" than on the other tracks on the album.[3] Duce wanted the song "to really make an impact."[3] The first half on the song was recorded outside of the studio.[3] A theremin can be heard on the track, but this was played through an app on Duce's phone.[3] "War with Words" is about Duce experiencing writer's block.[13] "Scared of the Dark" had been written by Duce shortly before the band had entered the studio.[3] Mitchell played Rhodes piano on the track.[9] He claimed that the band didn't intend to record it for the album.[3] Thrower didn't initially want to add drums to it, making it sound like the other slow songs on the album.[3] Madeleine Poncia of Dear Prudence sings additional vocals on the song.[9] In an April interview with NME, Duce said that recording was done "a couple of weeks ago" and that it was to be mixed "later this week."[6][nb 2] Mixing was performed by Mitchell, while Harry Hess mastered it.[9]

Release

On 11 June 2012, Changing Tune was announced and the track listing was revealed.[8] Duce came up with the title, while Sansom described that it was about "changing your tune in the positive and being more up-beat about situations".[11] On 9 July, the artwork was revealed,[14] which was created by Paul Jackson.[9] It was the band's vision of a "70s acid trip".[15] "Love Someone Else" was released as a single on 17 July.[16] The music video for it was released on 26 July[17] and was directed by Luke Bellis.[18] Despite the video's concept being set in an American diner, it was filmed in the UK.[19] At the end of July, the band supported Blink-182 for three shows.[20] In early August, the band performed at the Hevy Festival.[21] On 15 August, a lyric video was released for "Normally Strange".[22] Following this, the group appeared at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.[23] On 28 August, the band made "Normally Strange" available for free download via their Facebook page.[24]

Changing Tune was delayed from its 10 September release date,[25] and its subsequent 17 September date,[26] as a result of manufacturing issues.[27] It was eventually released on 1 October.[28] A version with additional tracks and a DVD was also released. Lower Than Atlantis went on a headlining tour in the UK in October 2012 with The Dangerous Summer, Don Broco and Transit.[8] The band then toured Europe in November.[11] On 6 January 2013, the music video for "Go on Strike" was released.[29] The video was also directed by Bellis.[30] The band then supported All Time Low in the UK for the first half of February.[31] For the second half, the band toured Europe with Blitz Kids.[32] "Go on Strike" was released as a single on 8 February.[33] The band toured the UK in April with Dinosaur Pile-Up, The Xcerts and Blitz Kids supporting[34] on The F**** It to the Man Tour.[35] It was their biggest headlining tour to date.[36] The music video for "Something Better Came Along", directed by Daniel Broadley,[37] was released on 8 April.[38] The video was filmed at a decommissioned tube station in Walthamstow, London.[39] It was released as a single on 29 April.[34]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic65/100[40]
Review scores
SourceRating
BBC MusicUnfavourable[41]
Big Cheese5/5[42]
Bring the Noise8/10[43]
ContactmusicFavourable[1]
Dead Press![44]
Metal HammerFavourable[45]
NME5/10[46]

Changing Tune undersold what the label had expected.[47] However, it was the band's best-selling release by November 2014.[5] Samson later recalled: "[Island Records] wanted us to be almost as popular as a pop band and it was just never going to happen. Jumping from World Record, we had to have an album that still 'rocked'."[47] "Love Someone Else" peaked at number 184 on the UK Singles Chart.[48] Changing Tune was released to a mixed reaction from critics, with an aggregate score of 65 on the Metacritic website which indicate "generally favorable reviews".

Changing Tune was ranked at number 6 on Kerrang Radio's "Top 10 Albums of 2012" list.[49]

Track listing

All tracks written by Lower Than Atlantis. Lyrics by Mike Duce.[9]

  1. "Prologue" – 2:49
  2. "Love Someone Else" – 2:30
  3. "Move Along" – 2:59
  4. "Wars with Words" – 1:49
  5. "Go on Strike" – 2:52
  6. "Scared of the Dark" – 4:22
  7. "Normally Strange" – 3:26
  8. "Something Better Came Along" – 3:59
  9. "PMA" – 2:28
  10. "Cool Kids" – 3:27
  11. "I Know a Song That Will Get on Your Nerves" – 2:44
  12. "Showtime" – 3:23
Deluxe edition
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Counting Sheep"2:59
14."Soul Doubt"3:59
15."Time Flies"3:44
16."Short Way Home"2:49
17."If the World Was to End"3:53
Total length:17:22
Deluxe edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."On Our Terms" 

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[9]

Chart performance
Chart (2012) Peak
position
Scottish Albums Chart[50] 23
UK Albums Chart[51] 25
UK Downloads Chart Top 100[52] 33
UK Physical Chart Top 100[53] 25
gollark: The price is determined by what people think the value of the product is.
gollark: Even Marmite works, although not for very long.
gollark: I was more concerned about whether they routed all the wires needed to negotiate it.
gollark: Do they work with power delivery?
gollark: Although it also means things presumably couldn't have those nice trip-safe magnetic charging ports.

References

Footnotes

  1. Both Mitchell and Humphreys previously worked with the band World Record (2010), which Mitchell mixed, while Humphreys recorded and engineered it.[10]
  2. Asked about the inclusion of "If the World Was to End", Duce mentioned that the track was "a [standalone] thing".[6] It was released due to the band having a few tracks left over and wishing to keep their momentum going.[6] They did toy with the idea of including it, but realised "the songs we've got are really strong."[6]

Citations

  1. Straw, David (18 October 2012). "Lower Than Atlantis - Changing Tune Album Review - Contactmusic.com". Contact Music. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  2. "iTunes - Music - If the World Was to End - Single by Lower Than Atlantis". iTunes. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  3. Lower Than Atlantis. Stone, Jon (Director) (2012). On Our Terms (DVD). Island. Event occurs at 12:46 for "If the World Was to End"; 14:21–14:58 for details about pre-production; 17:02 for Rockfield Studios; 23:57 for drum tracks; 25:26 for guitar tracks; 29:20–30:51 for "Scared of the Dark"; 35:23–36:25 for "Prologue". 3707796.
  4. "Lower Than Atlantis for UK headline tour". bigcheesemagazine.com. 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  5. Bird 2014, p. 66
  6. NME.COM. "Lower Than Atlantis: 'Being on a major label has given us more intelligence and more money'". NME. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  7. Biddulph, Andy (17 January 2012). "Young Guns & Lower Than Atlantis Hit Europe". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  8. "Lower Than Atlantis 'Changing Tune' in September". Big Cheese Magazine. 11 June 2012. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  9. Changing Tune (Booklet). Lower Than Atlantis. Island. 2012. 3707795.CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. World Record (Booklet). Lower Than Atlantis. A Wolf at Your Door. 2011. WYD025.CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. "INTERVIEW: Lower Than Atlantis". Bring the Noise UK. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  12. Patashnik 2013, p. 62
  13. Kruas, Brian (16 December 2014). "10 Bands Who Had Writer's Block (And Wrote About It)". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  14. "Lower Than Atlantis reveal new album artwork". bigcheesemagazine.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  15. "NEWS: Lower Than Atlantis Unveil New Album Artwork". Bring the Noise UK. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  16. "iTunes - Music - Love Someone Else - Single by Lower Than Atlantis". iTunes. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  17. "Lower Than Atlantis - Love Someone Else". Rock Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  18. "Love Someone Else". VEVO. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  19. Elliott, Catherine (28 September 2012). "Lower Than Atlantis: 'We're the biggest in our scene'". Gigwise. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  20. "NEWS: Lower Than Atlantis set to support Blink-182 in Manchester and London!". Dead Press!. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  21. "NEWS: Hundred Reasons, Bury Tomorrow and more join Hevy 2012 line-up!". Dead Press!. 2 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  22. "VIDEO: Lower Than Atlantis – Normally Strange (Lyric)". Dead Press!. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  23. "NEWS: Don Broco, Lower Than Atlantis and more join Reading/Leeds Festival 2012!". Dead Press!. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  24. "Lower Than Atlantis post "Normally Strange" for free download - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  25. "NEWS: Lower Than Atlantis announce October headline UK tour!". Dead Press!. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  26. "NEWS: Lower Than Atlantis change release date for 'Changing Tune' to October 1st!". Dead Press!. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  27. "Lower Than Atlantis release studio video of new single, "Go On Strike"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  28. "Lower Than Atlantis release video for "Go On Strike" - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 29 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  29. "Go On Strike [PARENTAL ADVISORY]". VEVO. 7 January 2013. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  30. "Lower Than Atlantis to support All Time Low". bigcheesemagazine.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  31. "NEWS: Blitz Kids Support Lower Than Atlantis On UK/European Tour". Bring the Noise UK. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  32. "iTunes - Music - Go On Strike - Single by Lower Than Atlantis". iTunes. Archived from the original on 16 November 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  33. "Lower Than Atlantis Announce New Single 'Something Better Came Along' Released 29th April 2013". Contactmusic.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  34. "Lower Than Atlantis Confirm Tour Supports". Rock Sound Magazine. 11 February 2013. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  35. "Exclusive: Lower Than Atlantis Cover The Police’s ‘Message In A Bottle’ - DIY". DIY. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  36. "Something Better Came Along". VEVO. 11 April 2013. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  37. "EXCLUSIVE! Lower Than Atlantis - Something Better Came Along". Rock Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  38. Lower Than Atlantis - Something Better Came Along (Behind The Scenes). YouTube. 4 June 2013. Archived from the original on 17 May 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  39. "Reviews for Changing Tune by Lower Than Atlantis - Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 29 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  40. "BBC - Music - Review of Lower Than Atlantis - Changing Tune". bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  41. "Lower Than Atlantis - Changing Tune". bigcheesemagazine.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  42. "ALBUM REVIEW: Lower Than Atlantis – Changing Tune (Deluxe Edition)". Bring the Noise UK. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  43. Bliss, Tony (1 October 2012). "ALBUM: Lower Than Atlantis – Changing Tune". Dead Press!. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  44. "Lower Than Atlantis: Changing Tune". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  45. "NME Reviews - Lower Than Atlantis - 'Changing Tune' - NME.COM". NME.COM. 28 September 2012. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  46. Parker, Matt (3 November 2014). "Lower Than Atlantis on labels, lows and tough lessons". MusicRadar. p. 1. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  47. "Chart Log UK". zobbel.de. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  48. "Kerrang! Radio". Kerrang! Radio. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  49. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  50. "LOWER THAN ATLANTIS". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  51. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  52. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.

Sources

  • Bird, Ryan (November 2014). Bird, Ryan (ed.). "Happiness Is...". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (193). ISSN 1465-0185.
  • Patashnik, Ben (March 2013). Patashnik, Ben (ed.). "Us Against the World". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (171). ISSN 1465-0185.
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